News Release Archive

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS--SAFETY IN THE HANDS OF MOTORISTS
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Hundreds of highway construction workers across Nova Scotia put
their safety in the hands of passing motorists every day,
Transportation and Public Works Minister Don Downe said today.
"Imagine sitting at your desk -- your workplace -- and having a
vehicle roar by at 145 kilometres an hour. It is unacceptable,"
Mr. Downe said as part of a summer campaign to heighten awareness
of the potentially fatal consequences of speed and driver
inattention through construction zones.
"Drivers must use common sense and realize that driving 100 or
110 km/h through a construction zone just isn't safe for work
crews and motorists."
Posted speed limits indicate the maximum speed at which it is
safe to drive under favourable conditions. A section of highway
under construction would not provide favourable conditions.
Nova Scotia is spending $59.5 million on some 70 projects to
upgrade roads in every county across the province this year. With
that amount of highway work, hundreds of men and women employed
by government and private contractors are on the roads every day
making Nova Scotia a safer place to drive.
"The biggest safety feature a driver can possess is attitude. No
one person owns the road -- it is shared by all users," said
Wayne Gaudet, Minister of Business and Consumer Services. "In the
same way, safety on our highways is also shared. The more each
driver becomes aware of and shares this responsibility, the safer
our streets and highways will be."
The campaign is being supported by the RCMP, who will pay special
attention to monitoring speeds in construction zones. The efforts
are also backed by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union,
the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Nova Scotia
Roadbuilders Association, the Nova Scotia Construction Safety
Association, the Nova Scotia Safety Council and the Construction
Association of Nova Scotia.
"The Department of Transportation and Public Works has shown
outstanding leadership in helping to make the workplace safer,"
said Bruce Collins, general manager of the Construction Safety
Association. "Over the last few years there has been a
substantial change in how you see people working with safety in
mind. Getting drivers on board will make things that much
better."
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Contact: Chris Welner
Transportation and Public Works
902-424-8687
Louise MacDonald
Business and Consumer Services
902-424-0394
trp July 30, 1997 - 10:30 a.m.